


Eastside

by Drayline



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Developing Friendships, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:27:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24188131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drayline/pseuds/Drayline
Summary: By the time they met each other at five years old, they were mere kids wanting to grow up. But when their friendship evolved over the years, they longed for happiness together even though one of their parents was against it.
Relationships: Fareeha "Pharah" Amari & Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Fareeha "Pharah" Amari/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler
Comments: 27
Kudos: 61





	1. Five

**Author's Note:**

> Rating is mature since chapters four and five will have mature content *ahem smut*

Tiny legs dangled on a cold bench, the sobs were incessant and less noisy than before, but the pain in her heart was greater than that which she showed on the outside. Fate has set a cruel future for her, mom and dad always told her to smile and be strong for others, never show the pain. But mom and dad were long gone now; a car accident took their lives and left a four year old blonde girl with eyes blue as the sky above alone at her own will. No family, no relatives, no friends. Completely in solitude in a foreign country.

The orphanage was cold, just like that chair, and barely a day had passed since her parents left this world that she was put into child protection services and at the service of whoever was her guardian starting today. She was waiting in an office alone sitting on a corner, her face was stained by many dry tears and the sleeves of her dress were damp and cold as well. She sobbed once more, trying to do it one final time and be strong, to remember her parents words.

_ ‘Always treat others with respect and kindness. Be merciful, be empathetic, help others. You are that to us already, extend your mercy over others. Can you do that for us, our little Mercy?’ _

Remembering was embracing the pain once more, and what she remembered most was the moment when she felt her body shake, when everything stopped and she saw her parents motionless in front of her. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t call them by name, only waited for minutes that seemed like hours when the police and firefighters took their bodies from there. She was escorted to the hospital in an ambulance. Her parents didn't.

As she looks down, she can see her knees scraped along her arms. A couple band aids were carefully placed on her face as well, but the physical pain wasn’t close from what she was feeling inside. She wanted to cry again. The sound of footsteps scared her, and instinctively she curled a bit on her seat. The door swung open and the middle aged woman who took her there was joined by a tall and strong man, blond with blue eyes and fair skin, just like her, and they both sat down one across the other on the desk.

“Here’s the file.” The woman started, handing a piece of paper to the man. The girl pretended not to hear and understand, and looked at her lap to focus on something else. She sort of knew the kind of conversation they were about to have, even when her english wasn't as polished. “Parents had a car accident two days ago along with her. They died, both of them. She survived the crash. No relatives who could take her. The family moved out from Switzerland, both parents were educated -doctors- and had a stable job. Nothing else to remark.” He hummed, acknowledging.

“Tell me more about the girl.”

“Her name is Angela. Ziegler, of late surname. She’s five years old, can speak german and is still learning english, although she speaks very well. A very clever girl, she was about to start first grade already, but this… Situation, was a step back for her. All her medical records are there as well. Overall she seems fine, not counting what just happened, of course. She must take post-trauma therapy from now on.”

“I see.” He flipped over some sheets, reading whatever was in there. Little Angela sobbed harder without intending to do so, and she got the attention of the man. He looked at her for a fraction of a second at the girl with blonde pigtails and a cute blue dress, then turned his head forward once more. “Can I have a moment with her?”

“Sure. You call me whenever you’re ready.”

“Of course.”

The woman got up and left the office, not without giving the little girl a soft smile that didn’t seem that honest to her. He walked towards her, the file no longer in his hands, and knelt at Angela’s eyesight. He on the other hand seemed nice once the social service lady left the place, he completely changed, a three hundred and sixty transformation. Angela wanted to sob, cry even, she felt weak at that moment, but he was quick to hand her a handkerchief so she could wipe out her tears. With a shaky hand, she took it and held it tight right in her hands.

“Hello, Angela.” He started with a smile, genuine and caring. “My name is Jack. How are you feeling right now?” She stood silent, looking at him with glassy eyes. “I know you don’t feel good, of course… But you’re being braver than anyone I know, and I’ve seen plenty of brave people in the army.” That irked Angela’s attention. Mom and dad said that military people weren’t the best of people. Nonetheless, this man looked nice, different to what she expected. “You are going to be okay. You will come and live with me, and I’m going to take care of you from now on. Does that sound okay to you?”

Blue eyes looked back, Angela’s face was puffy and blushed from the hours of crying. Jack wiped the tears with his big thumb and cupped her tiny face in his strong calloused hand, years of battles painted in them, and deposited a kiss on her forehead when she nodded softly. There was nothing else to do, it was to rot in the orphanage or to live with a complete stranger, not that it was her decision to take. She was held, a hug that was most needed after the accident, and when Jack stood up he offered her a hand.

“Come with me. We’re going home.”

Home was a concept that she no longer knew. Without the warmth of her parents, it was just a house, one more empty room. Angela was guided to the parking lot once Jack and the social worker finished signing a few papers, she didn’t understand anything of what was happening, only that when she got to the car she could see that it was luxurious and large, even when sitting in the back seat felt weird. Jack sat in front of the wheel after he fastened her seatbelt, he started the car and held the wheel tight for a moment, as if thinking he was forgetting something.

“I don’t have much at home for your comfort, there’s a spare room, of course, but we need to buy furniture and some toys for you. Does that seem okay?” She said nothing. Angela thought Jack was going to lose his temper by her lack of words, but he was too patient. “We definitely need to buy you lots of cute clothes. Do you want to join me tomorrow? I would love your help since I still don’t know what kind of things you like. Color, shapes, all that. That sounds good, doesn’t it?”

“T-thank you…” That’s all she managed to say as she returned her gaze to her lap. 

“My pleasure.” He smiled, she could see that on the rear window. Jack took a deep breath as he made a turn into the suburbs. Angela knew that part was where the wealthy people lived. Mom and dad said so once. Several houses of large sizes stretched the entire length of the avenue, all perfectly decorated, manicured with the most exquisite tastes there could be. Finally, the car parked in the driveway of one of the many houses. Jack turned to Angela, who looked curiously out the window. “We’re here. I hope you like it.”

Jack got out of the car and opened the back door, reaching out to the girl to help her down. Only there the man realized how big the SUV he was driving was and contemplated a possible solution for the future. Angela stood in front of the house for a moment and looked up at the height of such a structure. A huge two-story white house with columns, large windows, and a tiled roof was what she could see on the surface.

She was rushed inside once Jack grabbed a couple bags and a box with Angela’s belongings, what little could be rescued from home, and he left the things on a nearby table next to the stairs. The little blonde girl stood there in the foyer, looking to her sides and up and down, every piece of furniture was picked with utmost precision and taste. The house looked like one of those magazine covers or where people lounged on the television. Was she really going to live here?

“Angela? Sweetheart?” She was called from the living room, her little feet rushed as she kept marvelling about every corner of the house. The living room was huge, there were even a couple bookcases near the fireplace that she got interested in. She stood curious in front of one of them, and looked dearly at the rows until she found a cover flashy enough for her.

“First Aid and Emergency Medicine Afloat…” She read in a low voice. Jack stood next to her.

“Ah yes, that little book helped me get out of a couple emergencies indeed… Wait, you can read?” She nodded as she looked back at Jack. “Can you also write?” Another meek nod. “That’s… Quite impressive for your short age… You are a little genius indeed.” Angela smiled softly, barely noticeable. Her eyes diverted to a small table. Pictures and frames were placed neatly on the surface, mostly Jack posing with army outfits. She focused on one picture of him with a man, tall and fair with dark hair. “That’s me and… Vincent. He was my partner. We had to go our separate ways because of differences that couldn’t be resolved. If I tell you the truth, I still miss him one day or another.”

“He’s a man.” Angela stated with confusion.

“He is a man indeed. And a good one.” He stood silent for a moment, letting little Angela process what he just said. “What do you think of that?” She hummed, and didn’t expect her response.

“You don’t choose who you fall in love with.”

“Very wise and true words, princess. Come, sit down with me.” She obeyed, and sat next to Jack in the largest of the sofa’s. Deep breath, he did. The conversation wasn’t one she was looking for. “I knew your mom. We met at the army way back before you were even born. She hated the army and the message of peace we were bringing, she was stubborn but sweet. A dear friend of mine. We lost contact many years ago. …When I heard what happened, I couldn’t think of doing anything but rushing to the hospital.”

“They’re gone…” She murmured, her eyes filling with tears again. “And I’m alone…”

“No, no. You are not alone.” He wanted to hug her, but brought her to his lap instead and cradled her like the child she was. Clever girl and all, she was still a baby. “From now on, you’re going to live here with me, and I will never leave your side. I’ll protect you, I’ll take care of you, because starting today you’re going to be my daughter. And I will never replace your parents, that I know, but I’ll be here doing my best to offer you what’s in my hands to give you a good life. All what's mine is yours, and everything you ask for is yours for the taking.”

Angela looked up, her damp face was cleaned with the back of his hand. His words resonate strongly within her, and the fear and insecurity that she felt diminished a little, giving space for reassurance and comfort of belonging again, of not being alone. To continue a life by following the path that his parents taught her: Be merciful, be empathetic, help others. Extend your mercy over others. And she had to start with herself.

“From this day on, you are Angela Ziegler Morrison.”

* * *

Back in another neighborhood, a more than modest one-story house was full of laughter. Even if the economic conditions weren’t the best for some months, you could breathe a fresh environment full of love and happiness. The smell of freshly cooked food filled the kitchen and nearby rooms, the sound of loud stomping, screams and laughter as well, clearly the home with a troublesome infant around. A tanned man with long hair picked up in a low ponytail stood in front of the stove as he was stirring a ladle in a pot, unfazed by the sounds, and he hummed a little tune.

“Let me go! Let me go!”

“I am not letting you go until you say it!”

A high pitched voice screamed as another more authoritative one followed. Mother and daughter could become a bundle of problems from time to time. He sighed, thinking that this stage was perhaps beginning and his daughter and wife would not overcome it in a short time. He took a spoon and scooped some of the stew, sipping and savoring. He added a little more spice and kept stirring until ready.

“No!”

“You asked for it.”

The voices as well as the stomping were getting closer to the kitchen. The father sighed once more and untied his apron, folding it neatly. He was about to call his family for lunchtime when what seemed like a ball of human flesh rolled over fast on the kitchen floor. Her wife was grabbing a hold of her daughter, a tiny thin human being product of their love. Both seemed to be having fun, even if their game of chase was rougher than any other. In any normal circumstance he could be worried, but in this household, playing rough was a normal scenario among the girls.

“No, mama! Stop, stop! I give up! I’m sorry, please!” She was laughing so hard tears were coming down, that tickle attack made her burst into the cutest giggle fit any five year old girl could do. Mom released her with a grin of satisfaction and stood up, dusting her pants and tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“How hard was it to say?”

“Alright, you two. You can leave your games for later, but first sit down to eat, please.” He started speaking as he poured the stew in three bowls, handing each one to his wife so put the table on. “Thank you, dear.” Loyal, caring, respectful, patient, a good spouse, a great father, that’s what Sam is. Unlike her wife sometimes: Ana was brave, daring, rude, very proactive but at the same time she could be very understandable, especially when it comes to her daughter.

“Fareeha, sit down. You heard your father.”

And then there was the firstborn of the Amari family: Fareeha. The best of both worlds, as if they had specially chosen the best characteristics of Sam and Ana and put them together in a completely perfect life form. Strong and brave, careful and understanding, cute and charming. She had the ingredients to be one of the most amazing human beings. But there was always the surprise factor in it. 

A knock on the door alerted the family of an upcoming guest, they all knew who it was already. Sam took another bowl and served it to Ana. “Honey, can you open the door?” Fareeha nodded and got up, walking to the front door. She turned the knob and smiled at the not so surprising visit. A tall, rough-looking and dangerous man stood in front of her house, he had a thick beard and many scars on his face. Most of his hair was covered by a seamed cap, unlike his strong, muscular arms who were uncovered by his shirt. That man was Gabriel Reyes, Ana’s coworker and best friend.

“Uncle Gabe!” Fareeha cried, his frowned face changed to a smile as he picked up the girl in his arms.

“Hey, my little Cleopatra! Is your mom insisting on letting you wear those hair beads?” He said as he closed the door. The pet name was one he used from time to time, sometimes mocking the way she had her hair in a short bob with a pair of tresses with golden beads, and sometimes he simply complimented her as the strong woman she was meant to be. “How you doin’?”

“Good! But mama defeated me in chase.”

“Ah, we’ll get her next time, I’m sure. I’ll show you her weak spots if you promise not to tell.”

“Deal!” They both arrived at the kitchen, Fareeha still in arms. Gabriel sat her down in her chair and he picked up another one. A bowl was in front of him already.

“This smells great.” He tilted towards Fareeha and asked softly but audible enough. “Alright, who cooked?”

“Dad.”

“Good, because your mother can’t even make a sandwich.”

“Are you a homeless person who has nowhere else to go but my house?” Ana asked in an annoyed voice as she took a spoonful of her stew.

“What can I say? I love visiting my favorite person.” He winked at Fareeha, she giggled back. “Besides, annoying you is way more fun than staying home alone. Good as always, Sam, by the way.”

“Glad you like my food, Gabriel.” Truth is, Ana wasn’t the best at cooking. She could defend herself some other time, but Sam was the one with more at home skills.

“Uncle Gabe, guess what?!”

“What is it?”

“I will take karate classes starting tomorrow!”

“That is some surprising news! Good for you! You gonna kick everyone’s butt?”

“Yes!” Ana rolled her eyes.

“You ain’t quicking anyone’s butt, Fareeha. Stay calm. The first report of misconduct and I'll get you out of there.”

“Alright, mama.”

“So.” Gabe cleared his throat, wiping a few drops of food from his beard. “Why the sudden desire to get her into fighting classes?”

“Not for fighting, for self defense… And to burn her energies. There’s days where we can’t simply control her, so one of her doctor’s suggestions was to get her into sports to ease that attitude.”

“And Sam agreed to it?” Gabe asked with a jest, the father side smiled at the question.

“Like I have a saying in all this. My two ladies against me? I better be dead.”

“You got a point.”

Fareeha felt lucky at this point. Every day was the best day of her life, she was living it at its fullest and couldn’t wait for tomorrow. Her father was a very calm and respectful person, self-conscious most of the time. But her mother was whom she admired: a warrior, brave and fearful who made life more exciting. She couldn’t wait for the day she was old enough and she could follow her mother’s footsteps, to have her first tattoo just like her mother’s under her right eye, and to be as strong and admirable as her.

And tomorrow arrived sooner.

Gabriel was driving his old van, Ana was seated on the passenger seat and Fareeha in the back, wearing a brand new keikogi -a pants and jacket white uniform- tied with her very first belt, a white one, symbolizing she was at the starting line. The girl was almost jumping in her seat, excited as she was driven to the dojo for her first class. That day Sam had a busy work schedule, and that’s why Gabriel offered himself to watch over Fareeha on his free day while Ana was about to run some errands.

Once they reached the establishment, they both got out of the car and Fareeha was about to run to the dojo, but was quickly stopped by her mother from the collar of her jacket. Ana knelt, she made sure Fareeha’s uniform was straight and spotless and her backpack had her water bottle and towel, as well as her hair was tied properly and she looked at her daughter straight into her eyes, pointing at her tiny nose with a long finger as a form of threat, but also as a jest, the way she used to tease Fareeha.

“You will behave and obey your teacher at all times. This is not kindergarten, Fareeha, you can’t just play every time. I want you to give your best but also to have fun.” She gave her daughter a strong hug and a kiss on her cheek before she stood up again. “Any words of advice, uncle Gabe?”

“Yeah, of course I do.” He knelt at her level and took her by her tiny shoulders. “Listen, kid: you gotta do what your sensei says and you have to do it twice as better as what he asks you to. You know why? Because only that you’re going to become like your mom. She never settled for the minimum, no, she always pushed her limits. And look at her now. When I look at you, I see a mini Ana in your eyes, in your heart. You wanna become like your mom? Show her, show your teacher, show to the whole world how much you want that. Understood?”

It set fire in her heart, reflected in her eyes with the utmost determination she ever showed in her short life. “Yes! I will!” What Gabriel did not expect was the strong hug by such small and fragile arms. “Just so you know, I wanna be like you too.” He returned the hug in the same way and saw how the little girl said goodbye to enter the dojo and start with her very first class. Gabriel smiled and so did Ana.

“That kid is out of this world, I tell you.” He said out of the blue when both stood in front of the window and said nothing. “Good job on not wearing protection.”

“Fuck off… But you’re right, my best decision was to give her a chance.”

“I still remember when you brought her for the first time to the precinct. You made her a crib in one of the cabinet drawers by bulking some jackets when you couldn’t find a babysitter that day.” Ana laughed, he was right. “And she slept for hours and hours, like the good girl she is.” 

“And she grew up to be the irrepressible little monster that she is now.” The man laughed and shook his head, remembering how she, indeed, happened to be quite reckless and daring. How her little girl looked up to everyone and wondered about the many feats her heroes did. Being a police officer wasn’t an easy task, for sure. What Ana was worried about is that Fareeha seemed too determined to become an officer. She shook her head as she looked at the sky.

“You think she’s too rebellious, but look at her.” Gabe pointed with his chin across the glass window. Fareeha was truly demonstrating what she was capable of; following orders perfectly, lining up as instructed, performing movements as she had been taught, repeating over and over again until she further refined her technique. Not a word, not a gesture of disobedience, she just nodded and obeyed. “She is very disciplined, even if she doesn't seem like it most of the time. I think she just needs the right motivation. After all, she wants to follow in your footsteps.”

“That’s not the path I want her to follow.” Ana was standing her ground. For now, she had the right to choose what was right for her daughter, until she was justified in age to make her own decisions.

“Let her do what she wants, what's wrong with it? She wants to be a police officer like her mom? Let her be a police officer like her mom.”

“Being a parent is encouraging our kids to do what we believe is the best for them, to follow the path we think is correct. If they choose another path, that’s completely up to them, we can only respect it and favor them to do good. I’m taking choices for her because I know what’s best to her for now. You’ll understand when you have your own children.”

“I don’t need kids.” He smiled. “I have her.”

“You didn’t push her out of your vagina.”

“Yet it feels like I did.”

“Asshole. She looks up to the rebellious idiots, that's for sure. Also that’s why she doesn’t look up to Sam as much. He’s too settled.” 

“Now you should learn from Sam. He’s a good man.”

“You should also learn from him and settle down, have your own family and not steal mine.” Gabriel laughed again.

“Weren't you supposed to go grocery shopping or something?”

“And miss this?” She pointed at her daughter. The class was already finished and Fareeha picked up her backpack, taking a big gulp of her water bottle. Her hair was messy, her face damped in sweat and her uniform already wrinkled, product of her hard work. A full satisfactory smile on her face. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Fareeha said goodbye to her teacher with a bow as she was taught, and ran towards her mother who welcomed her with open arms in a warm hug. “Hello, baby. Did you have fun?”

“I had a lot of fun!” Despite panting, her smile was unmatched by any other. Ana was proud, as was Gabriel. “Did you see me, Gabe?!”

“We watched you the whole time! You were amazing, kid! What do you think if we go for an ice cream to celebrate it?” 

Gabriel knelt and took Fareeha in a piggy back ride, backpack and all. Ana nodded and smiled, letting them know she would catch them soon. Ana waited, as she was called by the instructor. Once inside the dojo and out of sight of the two, the woman took a long, deep breath. She made an arrangement with the dojo first, for Fareeha was months away to meet the minimum age required. Nonetheless, even if she hated the idea of her daughter taking a violent path, she knew she was guiding her through the right one.

“So? How was she?” Ana asked, arms crossed and gaze expectant.

“I must say… She impressed me. You have a very disciplined and obedient daughter, not to mention that she is very determined too.” The woman chuckled.

“What if I told you that at home she isn’t the first two? She is definitely determined at all times.”

“Even more impressive. It’s hard for a child to separate her home to a hobby, like in this case. Which is what I wanted to talk to you about, of course: Fareeha is more than welcome to come back to my class tomorrow, but also I want her to take a more serious approach in the martial arts. She has a gift for it, a lot of potential.” Ana looked back at the window, at the far corner she could see her daughter and Gabriel sitting on a bench having an ice cream cone, waiting for her as they both seemed to have a heartfelt conversation about the future and the present. The mother smiled.

“That's something I'll have to talk to her about, but I think her answer is obvious. Tomorrow she will come back at the same time.”

* * *

Five seasons had passed in the blink of an eye and the year was quickly gone. The world seemed so big outside Angela’s bedroom window, and the world was scary. 

For fifteen months the girl refused to leave the house, sometimes even from her own bedroom, and as much as Jack tried to encourage her to live a more normal life despite such a traumatic event, she refused. It was normal, said the psychologist, give her time, she will learn. Reading was her escape route and her greatest distraction, although even her now father was careful to visit her and let her know that he was there at all times that she needed him, and for some nights it was.

Jack was so kind and careful in creating a princess-worthy bedroom for her, from a big fluffy pink bed to the latest toys and wardrobes any girl her age could dream of having. Angela appreciated it, she wasn’t at all ungrateful, however she was more interested in other things. Study, learn new things, understand how the world worked, even if it was scary. And for a year she was coping with it, even to the point where she stopped calling Jack by his name and referring to him as ‘daddy’. She never called father that way, so it wasn’t that hard.

“Angela?” A call from downstairs was heard. “Are you ready for school?”

School was a horrible place.

Her first day of school went as it was supposed to be: introductions, adaptation, getting to know the building, getting to know her classmates, even when they weren’t entirely jovial with her. And from the first day of school she began to feel rejection. She was different in every sense of the word: immigrant, adopted, a rich girl, a know-it-all, a silent girl with broken english and strong accent who didn’t go out for recess and preferred to read at her desk. Angela never told Jack about that, not that she was much a girl of words.

She was never ready for school.

“Sweetheart?” Jack opened the door when Angela didn’t answer back. She was sitting in her bed all dressed up in a cute navy-blue and white polka dot dress, black shoes with white thighs, and her hair was pulled down in two pigtails with her perfectly wavy natural blonde hair. She looked adorable, Jack swore she could eat her right there and then. “Is everything okay?” She nodded and grabbed her backpack. “Good. The school bus is already here. I’m taking you to the sidewalk, okay?” Another nod.

Angela hated the school bus as well. The few months she started school was one of the parts she hated the most. Everyone was loud and reckless, and she sat silently at the very front of the bus. Strategically that was the safest point for her, she entered quickly, she left quickly, less contact with the children who made fun of her. And she did just that when Jack said farewell and she got on the school bus. School was about seven minutes away, seven painful minutes that symbolized the starting point of six excruciating hours and seven more minutes on the way back home.

Class started like any other. Listen to the teacher, do the exercises that were asked of them, learn the letters, colors and numbers that Angela already knew, draw and paint animals, do crafts. Recess. She was bored, it was repetitive and she didn’t learn a single thing. Perhaps she was a genius, or the other kids were dumb enough as not to understand something as simple as colors. She wondered. When all the kids rushed out the door and out to the playground, Angela got up and took her lunch box and a book from her backpack, sitting back at her desk.

Today’s lunch consisted of an apple, half a sandwich and some snacks like chips. She disliked those. Angela opened her book on page thirty-six, _ The Human Body: The Facts Book for Future Doctors _ . Jack gave her that book, it was simple and distracting enough for a quick read. He learned quickly that she wanted to become a doctor like her deceased parents, she felt she owed them that. Jack never questioned her decision and urged her to pursue her dreams. He was kind, he was truly honoring his title as a father.

Angela gave one big bite to her apple, leaving her sandwich for later, and the sound of the door being slammed open made her jump, dropping her fruit on the floor. Four kids; two boys and two girls laughing at her as she picked up her apple and tossed it in the trash. There was no use in trying to eat it back all dirty. The kids approached her and she closed shut her book and lunch box, feeling the daily threat coming up.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the nerd.” The older boy scoffed, snatching the book Angela was reading from her hands. He cocked his head, trying to read. “ _The…_ _Hu-h…_ What is this crap? Why are you reading, nerd?”

“Because she’s a nerd!”

“What’s going on, your majesty? You can’t speak?” Another girl teased, taking her lunchbox and opening it to grab the snacks. “I’m keeping these.”

“Give me my book, please…” She mustered in the meekest voice that left her mouth ever, not to say the kids were surprised yet amused. The one holding the book dangled it on top of her head. Angela was tempted to retrieve it back, but the possible consequences weren’t favorable.

“You want it? Who wants this kind of trash anyway?”

“I just want my book…”

“What are you gonna do? Push me?” He teased again, and one of the girls pushed her, sitting her back when she tried to stand up.

“You can’t do anything, nerd.”

“Yeah, you’re just a dumb rich nerd.”

“And your real parents left you because you’re not good enough.”

That was it, the straw that broke the camel’s back. Angela got up fast and pushed the boy holding her book. He fell to the ground with a thud and everyone looked at her. All Angela could do was open her eyes wide, reflect about what she just did and snatched her book back, running out of the classroom and into the playground. She was being followed back by the four kids, yelling threats at her that she might deserve because of what she did.

Angela pushed the door leading to the playground and ran towards the basketball court next to a group of big trees that she thought could hide her from danger. As she was running away, she looked back to see how much advantage she got, but tripped over a rock and fell to the ground, quickly being caught by the biggest and strongest of children. She was lifted from her dress as insults were growled at her face, her eyes filled with tears quickly and she closed them as she expected the worst, all because of her, all for not staying still as always.

“Hey! Leave her alone!” A high-pitched scream was heard from the side of the court, followed by rapid footsteps stomping furiously on the ground. It wasn’t a familiar voice that she could confirm.

“What are you gonna do if I don’t? Punch me?!”

“You know I will do that!” The boy took that as a challenge and shoved Angela back onto the floor, hurting her hands and arms and dirtying her dress. It hurt, but the attention was hurting even more.

Almost in the blink of an eye, a girl a little taller than her pounced on him, knocking him to the ground when she kept her promise. Angela had never seen such violence on a girl, or a woman. She took advantage and sat on the boy's stomach, hitting him repeatedly in the face until he covered himself. His hands were filled with blood and he began to cry, the other children scattered when one of the teachers quickly arrived at the scene, pulling up the girl away from the boy with a broken nose.

“Fareeha! What are you doing?! Leave him alone!” The teacher said as the girl kept kicking to be released. She was angry. But why?

“He started it! He shoved her to the ground and hurt her!” Angela realized she was talking about her, she looked at her hands and indeed saw the scrapes on her dirty hands and knees. They began to burn when she noticed it.

“That is no reason for you to hit him! You made him bleed!” 

The teacher scolded her as she released her. This girl was different to the others Angela met before. She was somewhat taller than other kids, she was wearing shorts and a simple shirt, her hair was pitch black straight and ended up on her shoulders, two tresses adorned her head, both with a set of golden beads. Her eyes were dark, and she looked furious, but when she looked back at her, her visage completely changed to worry. And Angela couldn’t understand why this complete stranger stood up for her.

“Come on, honey.” The teacher helped Angela get on her feet as well, rushing the three kids inside the building. “You’re all going to the principal’s office and you bet we’re calling your parents.”

The stranger girl frowned, but that didn’t seem to bother her the most. She seemed nervous, perhaps from the big reprimand she was about to have. Angela didn’t care for now, her legs and hands hurt, but she was worried daddy was going to find out what was happening to her, and how disappointed he could get. She walked with her head down to the principal's office, and sat next to this girl to wait for their parents while the bully was taken to the infirmary.

The nurse arrived later and healed the wounds on her hands and leg. Everything was silent, Angela didn’t speak, and this girl did not either. It was like sitting back in that cold office a year ago, waiting to see what cruel fate prepared for her. Her eyes went glassy again as she remembered that feeling of uncertainty, and she soon began to sob. The door opened wide and Jack hurried to meet his daughter with his eyes, quickly reaching her side and kneeling in front of her, running a thumb on her cheeks.

“Oh my God, princess. Are you okay?” She nodded as she kept sobbing softer this time. “I heard what happened and rushed as soon as I could… I’m going to meet the principal, you stay here and wait for me, okay?” She nodded again, the only thing that she seemed to do as of lately. Jack went into the office and closed the door, the room stood silent again and the conversation inside couldn’t be heard. 

A couple minutes of silence passed and the door swung open louder this time, more angry than worried. Angela jumped in her seat, she didn’t expect a woman in all black uniform, belts and guns all around her waist, the clear outfit of a police officer of higher rank perhaps. Was the situation so serious that the school called the police for backup? Was Angela that much in trouble? She was worried and scared. The officer stood up for a second in front of the girls and scoffed, pointing an accusing finger at the girl sitting next to her and growled with clenched teeth.

“I’m gonna talk to you later when we get home and you better pray this parent doesn’t sue me, Fareeha.”

And she went inside the principal’s office. So it appeared the officer was this stranger’s mother. Angela confirmed it when she sighed and relaxed her body as soon as the door shut down. Now the sound was making its way outside the office, but the conversation wasn’t clear. Angela decided to ignore that and focus on something else. Ceiling, floor, wall, her lap, her hands. Her hands were hurt and scrapped.

“Hey…” The girl called her in a low voice, having the blonde’s attention. “I’m sorry... Are you okay?” Angela blinked twice, surprised by the question. “It’s just that... I hate bullies so much and you needed help. I wanted to help…" Angela just looked at her. Was she really talking to her without insulting her? "You don't speak much, huh? It's okay." She smiled and rummaged through her shirt. "Sorry if it's a little bit bent, I tried to get it for you without getting in trouble… Well, more trouble than I already am."

She handed Angela her book, the one that started it all. It was indeed a little bent, slightly torn on the cover and there was a light dust layer on it. Angela took her with fragile both hands, marvelled at her act of kindness. She dusted it with the back of her hand and hugged it tightly.

"It looks like it's an important book to you, so I wanted to give it back to you." She smiled again, and Angela for the first time felt a heat rise on her cheeks.

"T-thank you…" She looked at the book and her lap, hiding her blush and embarrassment from her.

"You're welcome."

Quickly the silence was replaced by the voices inside the office, getting louder and louder as the seconds passed, the conversation getting clear. The other girl rubbed her face, tired and knowing it was her mother who started yelling.

_ “My daughter stood up for yours. How is that being a bad influence?” _

_ “Violence is not the solution. What kind of message does that send?” _

_ “You of all people talk off violence? What did they teach you in the army? How to hug and kiss the enemies of the State?” _

_ “My job has nothing to do with her safety.” _

_ “You know it has. You have to do what’s on your hands when it comes to defend yourself or the people you care for the most. My Fareeha stood up for a complete stranger who needed her help. What does that say? Was she wrong in doing so? Would you rather let that kid beat yours so you could send her the proper message about values and ethics?! I am not apologizing for teaching my daughter what is right!” _

_ “Your daughter broke that kid's nose like a savage! And the way I educate my daughter is my concern only!” _

_ “No wonder.” _

_ “No wonder?!" _

_ "You keep that poor child away from human contact!" _

_ "You listen to me! The way I protect my daughter is none of your concern!” _

_ “No, you better listen to me-!” _

The arguing lasted more than they expected. It was tiring, annoying at some point, and the stranger girl acknowledged it when she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Perhaps this kind of behavior was common in her home, unlike the Morrison’s household where it was usually quiet and peaceful. Angela held her book and pressed it on her chest tightly, the yelling inside was incessant. She was going to get in trouble, tears were coming up again, and she could feel it in her bones.

“My mom is never going to shut up!” Angela was distracted by the girl next to her. She jumped out of her seat and looked at the blonde with interest, then smiled. That interest turned into mischief. “Come, follow me.” She grabbed one of Angela’s hands and urged her to stand on her feet.

“B-but we’re going to get in trouble if we don’t stay here-”

“Don't worry, we'll be back before they know it! I promise!”

It was then when her hand was held tight by one of her same size for the first time in her life. It was different from that of adults, it was a little bigger than hers but at last it showed something that the others did not have: compatibility. As soon as she realized, Angela was running through the halls being pulled by this girl, gasping with every step she took, but for the first time in a year she did something she thought she could never do. She smiled. Angela felt like the child she was supposed to be, clinging to her book, holding her hand, running away and giggling all the way as the excitement and adrenaline ran through her veins.

“I’m Fareeha, by the way!” 

“A-Angela!” She said between happy huffs.

Finally they both made it to the playground again, near some trees where Fareeha sat and leaned against one of them, catching her breath while Angela looked exhausted and her hair messed up a bit, quickly fixing it as soon as she sat down. Fareeha chuckled when she saw how the blonde was a little desperate, even scared.

“Don't worry, they won’t find us here. Also, I bet my mom won't stop yelling soon, she always does that.” Fareeha crossed her arms behind her head, eyeing the book on the floor that Angela was holding moments ago before she started rearranging her pigtails. "Facts book for future doctors?" That surprised Angela and she looked at her with big eyes.

"You can read?"

"Yes, dad taught me, but I can't write yet. I bet you can do it.” 

“Y-yes.”

“You seem smart, and you're also pretty. I don't know how someone could be mean to you."

“Thank you…” Angela sat there with her hands on her lap and Fareeha frowned, visibly uncomfortable and upset.

“My friend Olivia told me that you are bullied, she’s in the same class as you, so I ran out to help you…” Angela said nothing, instead she limited herself to the only thing she could do when she was feeling embarrassed; nod. “You don't have many friends, do you?” She shook her head. “You can hang out with us on recess! I’m going to be your friend and I’m gonna look out for you and take care of you so the bullies don’t bother you again!” The way she smiled and spoke with so much determination made something new stir inside Angela. It was warm and cozy, she didn’t know what it was yet, but it made her smile.

“Okay…”

“Meet me here tomorrow and every day, alright?” And again, many of her first on this day, she nodded with excitement. “So, Angie...” Fareeha started, not noticing she nicknamed her as if it was the most natural thing in the world, but it made Angela blush with surprise. “What do you like to do?”

“I uhm… I like reading.”

“Yeah you look like a bookworm. Anything you like to read?” Finally someone else was asking her about her interests.

“I like reading about the human body, biology…”

“So you want to become a doctor when you grow up?”

“Yes, I want that.”

“You’re smart, so that means you are gonna become a good one! The best doctor in the world even!” Angela giggled, true and honest. This girl was out of her mind, but she definitely had quite the spirit. 

On the other hand, Fareeha knew what she was doing. People thought she was a rough girl, tomboy even, that liked to stir trouble when given the chance. She wasn’t like that. Not many kids liked to be friends with her either, but she had the best friends any girl could ask for, and that was enough for her. Sam taught her the real value of friendship and Ana the right path to take, and talking to this girl was both of them. Fareeha heard about this girl, about her past and present, and she wanted to help so bad.

“I can’t be the best doctor in the world.”

“But you can try.” She smiled at her again. Dad said that a smile could heal even a broken heart. Smiles were reserved for special people. “We always have to try hard to be better.”

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” She was opening up, that was a good sign.

“I want to be a police officer like mom!”

“Isn’t that… Dangerous?”

“Yes! Mom is so strong, brave and good! I want to be like her!”

“That’s… Nice, I suppose? You like fighting?”

“I do karate, but I’m not supposed to be kicking everyone just because. My sensei explained to me that I should only use my skills to protect and defend, not to attack.”

“Is that why you punched that kid?”

“Yeah! I would do that again if he ever bothers you again! I don’t care if I get in trouble again. I will protect you, okay? Just stay away from Lizzy, she’s a lot of problems.” Fareeha extended a friendly hand to Angela, who hesitated on taking it but did in the end. It felt warm again, as if Fareeha was transferring her a stream of energy and positivity, of protection. She smiled again, and with confidence she spoke.

“Yes, I will.”

“Good! Now we have to go, mom probably already finished yelling at your dad.”

The race started again, holding hands and being stealthy running towards the principal's office. Fareeha was smiling like never before as Angela tried to hide her laughter with the book. And the giggles couldn’t be hidden for the rest of the way. Finally the principal’s office was on sight, and they quickly sat down outside in their places with a thud, huffing and puffing on the bench, fixing what needed to be fixed. Just as Fareeha predicted, the door opened and an upset Ana left the office and scolded her daughter with her eyes. She didn’t need to say a word, Fareeha got off the bench to follow her mother, but not before giving her new friend a warm hug.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, Angie.” She said quietly, pulling away from her to join her mother, who had a sideways smile. Fareeha waved her goodbye and Angela did the same, slowly.

“Goodbye…”

Jack was the next to leave the office, he looked tired but Angela knew he was only upset by the argument they previously had. He wasn’t a person to show his anger much, he was patient, but the girl knew how to identify what gestures made this man show his emotions. Once again, Jack knelt in front of her and stroked her cheek gently, softening his features for her and only her.

“Are you ready to go home, princess?”

“Yes.”

Angela was escorted from the hand by her father to the parking lot, he carried his backpack in the other hand. Once in the car he helped her sit in the backseat as usual, fastening her seatbelt, and left the backpack on the passenger seat as he started the car, ready to go home. Angela looked out the window, and felt her heart beat as she saw a parked patrol, her new friend waving her goodbye out the back window regardless of her mother scolding and pointing an accusatory finger at her. 

Realizing it, she waved her just like her daughter and quickly continued her threat, which turned from an angry grin into a mischievous smile, attacking her daughter with one hand at her most ticklish points, eliciting a loud giggle from her and a fight back. Angela smiled when she saw that, and sat back when Jack reversed the car onto the street, ready to go home, hoping that tomorrow would be a better day.

And for the first time, Angela was ready to go back to school.


	2. Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twelve years old and Fareeha starts to realize she might have developed feelings more than dear friendship for Angela, but opts to bury them and go on with life. Angela ponders about her freedom and her father's relationship towards her best friend.

Six more years, and a new cycle was beginning. Old school and bad memories were a thing of the past, and now a transformative atmosphere was all that lay. It was a moment of learning and improving, of taking her promises very seriously, as she did. With each step taken, it was to climb a step, create one more memory and start another episode. And Fareeha was enjoying every minute of it. Now at the age of twelve, she was living every minute of the start of her teenage years at its fullest.

She wanted to be in as much physical activities as possible, that being said mostly sports, and basketball was something she was starting to get into. The friendly games she played with Gabriel were paying off, and she had a knack for it, her friends and other students -including teachers- acknowledged her skills. Fareeha knew how to dodge, jump, run, score, she was a marvel for such a young age, and the energy seemed not to end even hours of physical activity.

Even now in the school’s indoor basketball court, Fareeha was playing a friendly but quite competitive game with other kids at break time. Forget about lunch time, this was the good part. She skillfully bounced the ball, dodging blocks as if it were the easiest thing in the world, training and practicing from an early age was paying off. It was time to make her move, and with her feet firmly on the court, Fareeha plotted the distance to the rim and calculated the perfect angle and strength for an impeccable score. She jumped, threw the ball hard, and just as she expected, scored a three-point shot.

“Yes!” She roared, fistpumping the air in victory. The kids in her team were happy that she did such a score while the others weren’t as happy. 

Fareeha looked at the benches, looking for a certain girl until she found it, walking between the seats to find the perfect score. Angela grew up to be prettier than years ago and she relied on Fareeha’s confidence more than any other person. Today she was wearing a white dress with sunflowers and a matching yellow bow on her head to hold her long blonde hair. People knew Angela had money and she certainly dressed as such unlike Fareeha, who only wore jeans and a shirt, nothing too complicated even when her mother urged her to put on a dress once in a while.

“Alright, I’ll take a break!” She announced, running towards the benches and to Angela, who waved her back with a smile once she sat down. Fareeha, as impatient as she was, leaned on the rail and yelled at her from below. “Did you see my shot?!”

“I did! Good job!” Angela yelled back, urging her to sit next to her, which Fareeha quickly obliged by getting under the rail and jumping over the benches. “You're going to hurt yourself if you jump like this.” She scolded her when Fareeha sat down next to her, but the girl only responded back by smiling and getting away with it. She knew Angela always gave up after that.

“I’m sorry, I wanted to come up fast.” Angela handed her a bottle of water, which Fareeha drank half of it in almost one sitting. Truth is, she wasn't a bit tired, but she wanted to spend time with her best friend. That was worth more than any game. “I’m starving.” She opened her backpack, taking a container with her lunch in it. She wasn’t as fancy as Angela, who had her own cute lunch box. Fareeha grimaced when she saw what was in the container and Angela giggled.

“Was your mom in charge of lunch today?” Fareeha dangled a bag with what seemed mushed bread and some vegetables.

“You can tell by this awful thing she calls a sandwich. Dad was busy and had to rush to his job very early. Did I tell you mom burned the casserole yesterday?” Angela laughed, covering her mouth and shaking her head. “Why doesn’t she arrest herself every time she tries to cook? She’s a danger.”

“I’ll share mine.” Angela opened her own container, cutely arranged with bread, fruits and vegetables in the shape of flowers. She also had two small bags of chips in the container and a juice box.

“Woah, you did this one?”

“Yes, I wanted to give daddy a rest for making lunch for me every day. You can have some chips, I brought extra.”

“Thank you.” Fareeha took the offer and opened a bag of chips, taking one into her mouth. “How is your day so far?” Angela shrugged. Right then and there, Fareeha knew it was a normal day with no issues. A good sign. Or at least she thought.

“It’s been good, but… The teacher continues to insist that I join the science team and participate in competitions. I don't want that, you know I don't like being in front of the public.”

“Yeah, that’s a bummer… Have you told your dad?”

“Of course not, he would scold me. ‘ _ Think of what’s better for your future, you are a smart girl and blah blah _ ’.” Angela imitated him, making Fareeha laugh and do the same.

“ _ ‘You are the smartest girl of the entire world, don’t hang out with that girl, she’s a bad influence _ !’” Angela laughed wholeheartedly.

“Daddy doesn’t say that!”

“He totally does!”

“I could never stop hanging with you, you’re my best friend. He knows that.”

“And you are also mine. Don’t worry, they won’t separate us.” 

Fareeha held her hand like she usually did, as it became a common gesture between the two. The warmth provided by the taller girl’s hand was a coat of reassurance to the blonde. Initially she started taking her hand to make her feel safe after a horrible time of school several years ago, making her feel good and protected, but after a few years, Fareeha sought that warmth and security herself.

What she was still wondering, is how that simple gesture could make her feel so good? Of course, she still believed that what she had done to meet her years ago was worth it, seeing her now eating her lunch as smiling as she is was quite a sight, and Fareeha began to realize a few additional things. Fareeha was willing to do many more things for her, just hearing her name was exhilarating. For that very reason, she was willing to stop doing a lot of things for her, just like she left her game a while ago just to talk to her.

And she held her hand tighter.

Angela immediately noticed and looked at her, and smiled as sweetly as only she could. She wasn’t bothered, obviously, but that sometimes scared Fareeha. For the moment, all she could do was enjoy this time of tranquility with her, watching the game as she munched some of the chips and half a bagel that Angela handed her. Fareeha suddenly jumped in her seat, remembering that she wanted to ask her friend something important.

“Hey, Angie.”

“Yes?”

“This Friday I’m competing, and I'm really excited and a little nervous.”

“Oh right! Isn’t this your first one?”

“Yes heh… So I was thinking… Maybe you would like to go see me? I mean, if you want to.” Angela's eyes lit up just like her smile.

“Of course I would love to! But… I have to ask daddy to take me there and I’m not sure if he wants to do…”

“Yeah, I thought so…”

“But!” Angela jumped, taking both of Fareeha’s hands in her own and looking determined. “I’ll find a way to convince him. Just tell me the time and the place and I’ll meet you there one way or another. I promise.”

“Just don’t get in trouble. And it starts at five, in front of the mall?”

“Yes, I know where it is. I’ll see you there then!”

They both smiled, even more Fareeha for such an incredible promise. They were quickly interrupted by a loud scream calling their names, two girls each with a handheld video game console in hand. The smallest -a girl with brown hair, white skin in a pink T-shirt- sat between the two of them, showing them the screen of her video game, apparently leading the way. The other, a girl with dark hair and tan complexion, sat next to Fareeha, more calmly than the other hyperactive girl. The latter was a friend of theirs from back in the day, and this quirky new girl was a newcomer in their group from two years ago.

“Look! Look how I’m crushing her!!”

“Hana, you can’t just sit down between us like that. It’s rude.” Fareeha said with squinted eyes. “You ruined my sandwich.”

“Oh, sorry! Did your dad make it?”

“Mom.”

“Bah! It was already ruined anyway.”

“Hana don’t be so rude.” Olivia was a longtime friend of Fareeha who was in the same class as Angela. Her mexican roots sometimes reflected especially when she was angry, unlike Hana who got upset for pretty much anything. “Where are the others?”

“I don’t know, probably at the cafeteria.” Fareeha said, taking a bite of the bagel as she watched Hana ace her game.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was playing some basketball, Angie came here to cheer me up.”

“I see.”

Olivia was the second younger girl in the group, followed by Hana. Although she was regularly serious and reserved, with a sarcastic and playful humor at the same time, she was one of the people that Fareeha trusted the most. Extremely smart, perhaps just as much as Angela, since the two of them usually topped the list for higher grades. The difference between the two is that Olivia loved all things mechanical and electronic -artificial- while Angela was just the opposite, deviating from the natural and organic.

However, just as Olivia was smart, she was also insightful and observant, but that information remained for herself locked in a safe inside her head. Olivia was the kind of person you could trust with a secret, but you also had to take care of her, especially if you ever did wrong to her. For that very reason, Fareeha preferred to keep her deepest secrets to herself and share them with Angela sometimes. Angela told Fareeha how she commended her and admired her too, but she couldn’t understand why she didn’t take her future as serious as she was.

Hana, on the other hand, was smart in her own way: she was good at math, arithmetic, probabilities, her hand-eye coordination was impressive, and she had exceptional reasoning skills and problem solving skills. But his notes said just the opposite. Hana was distracted, and many times her older sister Yuna had to shake her head to get her to focus on school. Sometimes it worked.

The bell rang and everyone started to clear the gym, Fareeha sat for a moment absorbed in things that made her ramble. Angela realized this quickly and took her hand, pulling and guiding her through the hallways until she reached her classroom. What was on Fareeha's head was mainly confusion from a strange feeling that manifested itself as a chill running down her lower back to the nape of her neck. It was strange, exciting, but mostly scary because she didn't know what it was.

“Fareeha?” Her hand was released, and Angela waved goodbye. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah. Uhm, Angie?” Angela was already halfway down the hall walking to her next class, when she turned to look at her friend. Fareeha didn't know what she was going to say when that pair of blue eyes rested intensely on hers. Diversion. “Good luck with your biology test.”

“Thank you.” She waved back with a smile and disappeared behind a hall.

Classes were most boring, as always, and Fareeha was looking out of the window most of the time, moving her leg incessantly up and down, desperate because the clock hand was not moving faster. And thoughts on Friday began to come up. Fareeha was creating scenarios in her head, but mostly she was nervous. That was it, nervousness. She had a competition and she was feeling all weird because it was her first time and she had to show that she was good, even though she was enthusiastic at the same time.

Biology wasn’t her strength, unlike Angela’s, and this was definitely a time to fail. Tomorrow there would be a test and the teacher specifically targeted her to study harder. By the time it was over and the bell rang one last time, Fareeha grabbed her backpack in a rush, quickly waving goodbye to everyone and running down the hallways, several complaints were shouted by a couple of teachers. Don't run in the hallways. She saw it more as a suggestion rather than an order. Just as she turned in one of the hallways she tripped over something and fell to the ground with a thud.

“Whoops, was my foot on your way? I’m sorry.” Fareeha turned around on her back and looked at the girl she wanted to see the least. Elizabeth Ashe was the worst. She came from a very wealthy family, but unlike Angela, her parents never gave her attention, so she was always rebellious and, as Ana told her, that girl sought to obtain attention in other ways. She meant trouble. Her leg was still stretched out though, and the three boys who joined her were laughing with her as well.

“Why did you do that?!” Fareeha asked her as she was getting up, dusting her pants. The fall wasn’t as painful as the sound she made.

“Why do you keep getting in our plans? Do you like to mess up with us or something?” Then she knew what she was talking about.

“I saw the twins putting gum on Angela’s seat yesterday.”

“What they or any of us do is none of your business.”

“It is if you mess up with my friends. What has she done to you even? Angela doesn’t hurt a fly.”

“I can’t stand pretty, rich and smart kids like her. She thinks she’s so popular and everyone loves her and she’s so perfect. She makes me sick.”

“What are you talking about? You are way richer than her.” Fareeha was frowning, angry at her words. 

“But I don’t act like I’m superior to everyone.”

“You are literally the biggest bully in the school and you’re talking about acting superior.” She shook her head and remembered her mother’s words.  _ Never start a fight but always end them _ . “Stay away from her, Elizabeth.”

“Or what? You are gonna punch my face too like that kid six years ago? Or like that boy from fourth grade?”

Fareeha decided to ignore them and turn around when they started laughing, following the path she was taking prior to being tripped on purpose. When she left the building, she looked for the school bus and her best friend, who was already waiting for her along with the others. Fareeha was panting once she arrived at her side.

“Where were you? The bus almost leaves without you.” Angela asked worriedly as the rest of the kids got on the bus, taking their seats. Angela started to step in the same way when she saw Fareeha following her.

“Sorry, the teacher pulled me aside to remind me of our test tomorrow and that slowed me down.” Fareeha wouldn't tell her what just happened, she vowed to protect Angela in her own way and stay as much out of trouble, or at least hide them. Both took their seat, and unlike previous years, they didn’t sit in the front row, but rather in the middle.

“Biology?”

“Yeah.”

“I can help you study if you want.”

“That would be great, thank you.” Angela pulled a book out of her backpack and opened it on page thirty-seven, pointing a finger at one illustration.

“This is where you have trouble, right? The muscular system. This should be easy for you. I saw this on the test.” Angela rested her head on Fareeha’s shoulder and held her hand, pointing with the other at the body parts in the book’s picture. Fareeha felt calm now, she needed it after her moment with Elizabeth. “Did you know you use six muscles when you jab?”

“Really? I thought the arm was like two muscles.”

“Not at all, there’s more than that. See? You use these ones, the deltoids, triceps, flexors and even your core muscles right here.”

“That’s cool.”

Fareeha leaned her head on that of her friend, Angela knew well how to teach her and how to focus her attention with the perfect examples, so Fareeha curiously began to ask her what muscles she used when performing a certain type of punch or kick. The bus stopped in front of Angela's house, and the girl always wondered what it was like inside of that enormous residence. Maybe she would never know, Jack really hated her, at least she thought so. Angela said goodbye to the group and especially Fareeha with a 'see you tomorrow' as usual, and she always hoped that day would come.

* * *

Back at the Morrison’s home things were much calmer.

Angela opened the front door after the bus left her and what silence was all she found. It was always like this. Jack usually worked a few hours a day, and sometimes all day if required at his job. That did not bother Angela at all as she took advantage of those moments to do what she wanted, a perfect opportunity. Angela left her backpack on the sofa and looked for her father announcing she was back from school.

“Daddy? I’m home!”

“I’m at the office, sweetheart!” He yelled back. Angela walked to her father's office and knocked twice. She was taught that wherever you were, even in your own home, you should be respectful enough to knock: especially if your dad had a meeting or a phone call. “Come in.”

“Hello, daddy.” 

“Hi, princess. How was school?” Jack was sitting at his desk, a couple files open in front of him and he was still wearing his blue uniform. Angela greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and sat down on the chair across him.

“It was good. We had a test today."

"And I assume you aced it, as usual." Angela shrugged, dangling her feet.

"It was pretty easy."

"I bet it was for you." Angela wanted to lay down the request and promise she made to Fareeha, but she was interrupted instead. "I'll have to go back to work in a few minutes, sweetheart. I ordered pizza, it's in the kitchen counter. Will you be okay with me going out for a couple hours?"

"I'll be okay, I have homework to do anyway."

"Very well then. Call my office if you need anything, alright?"

"Yes." Now was the time. “Daddy, I was wondering if we could go to the mall this friday." Jack stopped looking at his papers and focused on Angela.

“You want to go to the mall? Well, that is a surprise. What do you want?” Angela disliked the mall, it was too a crowded place full of people and noise, besides other things. “You don’t like the place unless you have something specific in mind.”

“I want to go to the bookstore.” That was the most gullible answer, she thought that through.

“There’s plenty of bookstores nearby.”

“But I want to go to that one, there’s a book I want to look for that I couldn’t find in any other bookstore.” Jack wasn’t too convinced, but Angela knew her ways how to persuade him. “Also, you can go to that store you like and buy you a nice suit for the Guillard’s party next week.” His weakness: shopping.

“Hmm yes… I suppose I could also buy you a dress too. Matching outfits. We have to look more than presentable”

“I have enough dresses, daddy. I can wear any of the ones I have in the closet.”

“I'll take you to the mall with one condition: we’ll find you a dress for the party and one suit for me. Is that a deal?” It sounded good enough .

“Alright, daddy. Deal. Thank you.” 

Angela kissed him on the cheek again and she retired to her bedroom, not without first grabbing her backpack to do today's homework and a couple slices of pizza on a plate. While taking out her notebooks, books and pencils on her desk to start working, Angela was excited, seeing that it was very easy to convince Jack to take her to one of the places she hated the most, not only because of the people, but because going there was tired since Jack liked to buy and he did it seriously. 

The good thing is that they would just go for a random book to the bookstore and buy a suit for each one, right?

_ Wrong. _

Friday made Jack look way too excited, even driving to the mall seemed to cheer him up. Truth is, he enjoyed taking his daughter shopping, choosing the most beautiful outfits he could find no matter the cost, dressing her up like the cutest doll there is, and Angela wasn’t the kind of girl who was interested in clothing and accessories, so as soon as such an opportunity presented itself, Jack made the most of it. And right now he was doing it.

Jack carried four bags -two in each hand- and Angela had two of her own, and although they weren’t as heavy, most of them contained garments of all kinds from scarves to dresses and suits, ranging from humble boutique shops to luxurious designer brands. Jack continued to see every counter and display that caught his attention, which were many, especially when it came to girls clothes, and they hadn’t even reached the bookstore yet. Angela sighed and groaned to herself when Jack made his way into a skincare shop.

Daddy had a problem.

Jack quickly stood in front of a shelf with products that caught his attention and continued to look to the sides, checking the quality and the functions of each product. Angela admitted it, she was curious too about the type of products and ingredients that they handled depending on the type of skin and complexion of each person, it was a perfect chemical balance, although many were deceiving. The girl took a jar off the shelf and started reading the ingredients. She frowned.

“Daddy, did you know that a percentage of what you put on your skin does enter your bloodstream and faster than if you swallowed it? Think of the chemicals in this night cream. It’s safer to eat it rather than rub it in your face.” Jack sighed and put the jar back on the shelf, looking at her daughter.

“Angela, princess, we’ve talked about this… I will buy whatever is organic and free of chemicals.”

"But chemicals, whether preservatives or acids, aren’t always bad. Even water is a chemical. That's a misleading advertisement around organic products for people to feel good about it."

"Let me take this one and don't scare other people about beauty products, okay."

"Sorry, I try not to…"

"I can't be mad at you, you're so cute. And that’s smart, I know you get interested in this, which is commendable for a girl your age."

Angela smiled, she knew she had a magnanimous power over her dad. Nonetheless, she was tired of skipping from shop to shop and watching Jack pull almost every outfit from the racks that seemed interesting from him, looking out at the smallest of details. Angela wasn't that keen on details, but when she was, she definitely wasn't carrying two bags of clothes for an hour. This was no exception. As smart as she was, she decided to skip that suffering and ask Jack to leave her on her own for five minutes that she knew was going to become half an hour at least if he decided to keep looking around the store.

“The bookstore is across this store. Can I go and look for my book, please? I’ll promise I won’t move from there.” Jack didn't even have to look at her and stop taking products from the shelves to know that she would be fine, after all he trusted her.

“Alright, sweetheart. Wait for me there and don't go anywhere else. I’ll be right back, I won’t be long.” A big fat lie.

“Thank you.” She turned around but stopped midway. “Oh! And buy the night cream with the blue label, that’s the best one you can get there.”

“Thanks, baby.” He picked up the jar as told and left the aisle for another one.

Once Angela made sure Jack was distracted enough, she took a little detour to the left and went inside a small store that she found on her way before. A small jewelry shop. There she found a couple trinkets but what really got her attention was a few charms with letters on it. Angela looked better at the glass showcase and upon looking at the price tag, she sorted numbers in her head. Perfect.

"Excuse me, miss?" She asked the lady on the other side of the counter. "Do you happen to have these charms for engraving?"

"Of course. Do you have something in mind?"

"I would like two, each one with an A and a F."

"Absolutely. I'll do it right away." Angela smiled as she saw both silver charms being taken away for engraving. It was an impulse buy but luckily she had enough allowance money saved to afford it. "Is this for someone special?" She was asked.

"Yes, it's for my best friend. I want to give her a friendship charm of sorts… I hope she likes it."

"I'm sure she will. I bet she is a good friend." Angela leaned on the counter, watching the lady drawing a beautiful letter on top of the circular charm. She was already done with one.

"She is the best. I wish I could do more for her… Sometimes I feel like I'll never be able to make up for everything she's done for me."

"Friendship isn't about paying favors, it's a gift and not the material kind." Angela visibly deflated, maybe she did the wrong move by trying to give her a charm. Perhaps she wasn't as much into jewelry? Maybe it was inappropriate. "But I'm sure your friend will appreciate such a beautiful gift from her best friend." 

All of Angela's doubts were cleared when the older woman said that. She smiled and her eyes lit up when a small bag with a couple tiny boxes were handed to her. Angela took a couple bills from her purse and paid for the charms, stuffing the small bag in her handbag. She waved goodbye to the kind lady of the jewelry shop and headed to the bookstore before Jack could find her.

A small bell rings when she opens the door of the bookstore. The place wasn't as crowded as most of the shops and it had quite a fair amount of books she was interested in. Nonetheless, the clock on the wall was more interesting. Four-thirty. She still had a little bit of time before Fareeha's competition started. Angela walked through the aisles and went straight into the natural section, drifting over medical journies and other interesting recaps that were at her intellectual level.

She picked up one from the shelves; Medical Injuries in the Martial Arts. It reminded her of Fareeha, perhaps she could make good use of that book in the future. Angela also searched for a book to pair it with that one regarding therapeutic massages in athletics. Once she found the perfect book, she took them to the counter and paid for them to sit on one of the many sofas inside for customers and readers in general.

Twenty minutes later of intense reading and studies, Angela heard the bell ring again. She looked at the clock above her and she opened her eyes wide. Five minutes to five. Angela stuffed the books in one of the shopping bags as soon as she saw Jack walking towards her with one more bulky bag in his right hand. She stood quickly and walked to him, grabbing his least busy hand and pulling him towards the exit.

"Hey! What's wrong, angel?" He asked, worried about his daughter's behavior.

"We need to go!" She kept tugging, and Jack didn't object for he always fulfilled Angela's wishes.

"Why?"

"I found out that there is a sports event in front of the mall at the state gym and it starts at five. I want to go and see! Can we go please? Pretty please?"

"Of course we can… Why are you so suddenly interested in sports?" Angela rustled her bag and showed him the book about injuries.

"This! What a better way to understand this book than to see it with your own eyes! Please, daddy! It’s starting now!" Jack couldn't complain and nodded.

"I suppose it makes sense now… Alright, let's go. This can be interesting as well."

Tricking Jack wasn't as easy, but Angela knew him like the palm of her hand and God she knew how to convince him. As soon as they arrived at the parking lot, Angela gave Jack the shopping bags and left him there, running towards the street.

"Angela!" Jack shouted at her when she was two parking lanes away, panicking from her daughter's sudden burst. She turned her head around without stopping for a second and answered back.

"Don't worry, daddy! I'll meet you there!"

"Be careful!"

The stadium wasn’t far at all, it was just a matter of crossing the street through the crosswalk and the traffic light and that was it. Angela knew that her father took his time arranging their purchases in the car, even leaving the mall parking lot was quite a feat since the place was always packed. Angela had already lost enough time to waste more, she made a promise to Fareeha and she had to keep it in any way.

Once she made it to the tickets, she paid her fee and quickly ran to the inside of the building. Full as well. Damned be crowded places. The only place available for now was the bleachers at the very top, and even if the place seemed somewhat empty, she wasn't happy of not being down there watching her friend's fight from a close angle. She sighed but swapped her attention at the stage and the tatami in the middle. And there she was already.

Fareeha was giving quite a fight, she was all dressed up in her white uniform and seemed quite confident but also disciplined, it was a rare sight for Angela and she was living for her friend giving such a performance. She leaned on the rail and watched with wide open eyes every move of Fareeha and her opponent, another girl somewhat taller than her.

"Angela?" Her shoulder was tapped when she was called by a feminine voice, she turned around and saw a woman she knew but hadn't had the pleasure to meet deeply.

"O-oh, mrs. Amari! Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon." She smiled, she wasn't wearing her uniform like the few times she met her, but rather simple jeans and a white shirt. "I'm glad you could make it. Fareeha told me you could come to see her compete."  _ Could _ . The word hurts a bit.

"I made her a promise, I don't break my promises."

"A lady of word, I like that." She smiled. "It's true, Fareeha wasn't sure you could make it and she was a bit disappointed when you didn't make it before she stepped on her first round, but I told her to fight as if you were here the whole time cheering her up."

"Thank you…" Angela knew that Fareeha had her concerns regarding Jack and his permission to hang out with her, but her father had control of her life to a certain extent. Fareeha was off limits. "I am here now and I'll cheer for her until her last fight."

"No, Angela. Thank  _ you _ . You're going to make my daughter very happy when she finds out you were here and watched her fight from start to finish." Ana leaned on the rail next to Angela and watched her daughter below. "I'm also happy to see you here."

"I'm glad to hear that… But why are you up here and not there closer to Fareeha?"

"I hate crowds. I have enough action at work and home that sometimes I need a break."

"I understand, I don't like crowded places either."

"Angela!" The girl turned around and saw her dad running towards her. He reached her side and was visibly upset and tired, Jack was running and wasn't as much a surprise he was panting. To make things easier for him, Angela ran towards him. "Finally I found you…"

"Hi, daddy. I was watching the fight just now. Isn't it great?" She leaned back on the rail and Jack did the same.

"Karate?"

"Yes!" She pointed at the two fighters down below. "The second kumite is about to start."

"I see. Wait… Is that Fareeha?" Jack asked, now looking at her daughter. She tried not to look but couldn't avoid it. "Did you make that thing up with going to the mall so you could come here?" And her plan was unveiled.

"I'm sorry I tricked you… But I really wanted to see my friend and support her in her first competition. I'm proud of Fareeha and I want to cheer up for her."

"Angela, I'm disappointed in you." She sensed his anger and she looked down. "You know I can't stand lies like this-"

"Good afternoon, captain Morrison." Ana reached their side, smugly and proud nonetheless, and ready to interrupt Jack's unnecessary scolding. "I was just telling your daughter how happy my Fareeha will be when she finds out she's here supporting her like a good friend."

"And I didn't know your daughter competed, or trained karate at all."

"Seven years, high red belt. She's trained enough." Jack simply hummed. Angela seemed defeated, making Ana's heart shrink when she saw the poor girl. "Honey, why don't you keep watching the kumite? You are here already." Angela looked up at her father with glassy eyes like a desperate puppy, it was enough to melt.

"Go ahead." Angela smiled from ear to ear and ran to the edge.

"You're still hurt about that time." It was a statement more than a question. Ana asked out of the blue, arms crossed leaning against the rail, Jack imitated her. "What my daughter did years ago shouldn't affect your impression of their friendship in the present."

"I'm not going to talk about that, I made up my mind years ago."

"Very well. Just remember how that affects your daughter." A sore spot. Jack scoffed.

"Angela needs to focus on her studies, if she wants to follow the path she chose."

"She is a baby, studies are important but so is her happiness. She needs to laugh, to run, to act like the kid she still is."

"Angela isn't like that. She acts mature for her age and doesn't enjoy acting like a kid, as much as I tried in the past."

"As you said, it was in the past. But maybe with the right guidance you can to try to give her some freedom because look at her right now, she is looking like one happy kid." 

Ana pointed out with her chin to a happy blonde at their side. Angela was screaming at the top of her lungs, cheering for Fareeha, making her know she was there and she kept her promise. Never Jack saw her as happy and loud, like a regular kid, like the child he always imagined. There he knew perhaps Ana was right, but he would never make her know that she won for now. And it honestly was endearing, it reminded Jack of how that shy, fearful little girl who lost her parents in a tragic accident seven years ago could break that hard shell because of a rude girl. Ana reached Angela's side and started cheering with her, waving her arms, cupping her mouth to make her roars make Fareeha's ears.

But Jack had to admit another thing, Fareeha didn’t look like the kid he first met years ago, she grew up both physically and, apparently, mentally as well. He looked down and focused on the fight, having a close eye on Fareeha and analyzing her fight, studying her movements carefully, and she had a knack for it. Honest truth. Without realizing it, the second round was over minutes ago and the third one was coming to a close end, Fareeha had quite the advantage over her opponent, and a fourth round wasn’t necessary when she gathered enough points to win. Victory was on her side.

And Jack never saw Angela as happy as that moment.

Ana was living in a cloud as well, proudly cheering for her daughter at every moment. But the win wasn’t as important for her, nothing made her prouder than watching Fareeha defeat her opponent and extend a friendly hand to help her up, bowing to her and thanking her for the fight. Humility and discipline, two essential things that she needed to live to, and she was doing it right now. Ana quickly headed for the stairs, but not before inviting Angela to follow her to congratulate her daughter.

“Angela, I’m going down stairs with Fareeha. I have permission to enter that area, you can come with me if you like.” She asked towards both of the Morrison family. Angela was more than thrilled, of course, but she had to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

“Yes, I want to! But... “ She turned around to look at Jack. He seemed to remember Ana’s words about independence, she was twelve years old after all and it was time she could experience certain freedom regarding her developing age. Jack nodded and sighed.

“Go, I’ll wait for you in the car.”

“Thank you!” Angela ran to him and hugged him tight, reaching Ana’s side as fast as she could, and they both disappeared in the crowd below.

* * *

For Fareeha this was not easy. A fight was normal, a friendly game between two participants, whoever won would benefit, but this was completely different. Her first round was not so simple, she admitted that she made some mistakes that although they would not have been so obvious to the public, they were for her. The first kumite had finished and with her gaze she looked for those faces of comfort and support, turning towards the back benches, she met the face of his father and his uncle, who applauded and gave her words of support.

Fareeha nodded, smiling for a fraction of a second so as not to lose her serious posture in the middle of an encounter, and although the words helped, they did not help as much as the fact of not seeing her mother, and above all, Angela sitting there together with them. That reminded her, where exactly was her mother? Gabriel, noticing her lost gaze immediately, smiled and pointed a finger at the upper stands, far above, and there she could see her. She easily recognized her mother to the fullest by moving her arms, but also a smaller, lighter shadow, and Fareeha instantly knew who she was.

Angela made it. She kept her promise. Fareeha couldn't feel happier and relieved at the moment, and that gesture was what helped her clear her mind and focus on her fight. Nothing else could ruin it. The second kumite ended in the blink of an eye without a single error, and the third was the same without the need for a fourth. She had won and hardly believed it, even if it didn't reflect on her face. As usual, Fareeha extended a friendly hand to the girl and helped her to her feet, bowing to her for accepting her in that battle. Although that was her debut fight, she couldn't wait to win those tournaments when she reached the minimum age to participate with the grown ups.

A gold medal was hung around her neck under a bow, and a photograph was taken in the same way before leaving the stage to go with Sam and Gabriel, who took her in their arms and squeezed her tightly in a congratulatory hug just like she could give it to them.

“You did it, kid! I knew you would do it!”

“You were amazing, Fareeha.” Sam spoke, giving her a heartwarming hug as well. “We’re all so proud of you. You won your first fight! That’s impressive and commendable.”

“Thank you! I’m proud of myself too. Look how pretty!” She showed them the medal hanging on her neck. “And it’s my first one!”

“What would you say if we hung that one up next to your mom’s medals?” Fareeha’s eyes lit up, that’s 

“I would love that! Thank you so much!” Gabriel put her down when he saw Ana rush to her daughter and she picked her up in a tight embrace like any proud mother could do. “Mom! I won!”

“I know! And in three rounds! I saw everything! God I’m so proud of you, my baby!”

“Mom, can I hang up my medal next to yours on the wall?”

“What do you mean? Of course you can! I’ll make room so you can have your own wall space too. What do you think?”

“I would love that.” When Ana released her, she stepped aside and finally met the person she was looking for the whole fight. Fareeha ran quickly as soon as she saw Angela and stopped a few steps in front of her, but the blonde, not caring about her appearance, wrapped her in the biggest of her hugs, despite being a little smaller than her. "Oh my God, you made it! I'm sorry, you don’t want to hug me, I'm all sweaty."

"I don't care! You did it! I have never seen you fight before, you are amazing! Why didn’t you tell me you were that good?!"

“You saw all of it?”

“All of it! Well, most of it, I missed like a minute or so. But aside from that, I saw all of it.”

Fareeha felt a warm sensation course all over her anew, exciting and pure, a perfect combination to overpower her uneasiness and tension of the fight that was long gone. At that moment what she appreciated most was the fact that Angela kept her promise as she had said, she still didn’t know how she had managed to get there but it was an answer for later. The girl who was hugging her was showing her full support and dedication to their friendship, and nothing could break that. Angela parted when she heard Ana's voice again, letting Fareeha breathe from her overwhelming display of affection.

“We are ready to go. Care to walk with us to the car, Angela?”

“Of course.”

Even when the walk was fast, each step felt like something totally wonderful. When they reached the parking lot, Fareeha found the man who perhaps terrified her more than anyone else, and that was Angela's father. Captain Morrison was a man to fear especially if you messed with his daughter, a bad look guaranteed you a trip to the hospital. Or worse. He had a rather harsh reputation, and although Angela was the only being he treated like royalty and worshiped as a goddess, he didn’t have the best impression of her best friend, and that made it even more difficult.

Jack walked to them as soon as he saw her daughter, reaching her side and thanking Ana for watching her. The woman responded in the same way and the tension could be cut with a butter knife, so it was time for Gabriel to step in since Ana could be quite rough and Sam quite the opposite.

“I think this deserves a trip to the ice cream parlor to celebrate the champion. What do you say? My treat for the champion.” 

“That sounds awesome! Thank you, uncle Gabe!”

“Angela. Do you want to join us?” It was Ana to step up. She knew Jack would be obstinate about his decision, but she could try for the happiness of her own daughter.

“I- uhm… I don’t think- I’m not sure…” Angela was self-conscious, playing with her hands and looking down like the shy kid she was, and with good reason, Jack was standing just inches from her. Ana sighed and walked towards the blonde man and faced him in a non-aggressive manner.

“What do you say, Jack? Just ice cream, we’ll take her home in an hour.”

“I want her home at nineteen hours at most.” 

“That’s perfect, I’ll keep my promise. Thank you so much.”

Angela's eyes lit up when she heard her father give her the freedom she needed for the first time, even if only for an hour. She turned and looked at Jack with surprising eyes before giving him a big hug. The captain gave her a hug back when everyone but Fareeha walked away to the car.

“Thank you so much, daddy. I’ll behave, I promise.”

“Is not your behavior that I worry about.” He said in a low voice to her ear.

“Please, she’s good…”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Don’t judge her too quickly. You already saw how disciplined, loyal and humble she can be, and even you like that.” She could’ve walked away and leave him to think about it, but she decided to give him a kiss on the cheek instead. “I love you.”

Angela made her way to Fareeha and she grabbed her hand as usual, tight and secure, smiling all the while pulling her to her family and for the first time, getting to meet them. It’s been impressive how after years of knowing each other, they never met each other’s family properly. Fareeha knew Angela only had her father and that’s it, she never talked much about her past, even if she was young when she got adopted. Maybe someday she’ll ask. When they got to the car, the trip was calm and quick, Gabriel kept explaining to Ana all details while Sam focused on driving, the two girls remained in silence while holding hands still.

Ana was the one who opened the door for them when they arrived at the ice cream parlor, helping Angela to ease her down to the concrete, and Fareeha immediately noticed she was tense. Her mother didn’t, fortunately, and left them to walk alone to a nearby table to sit and wait, and as soon as Angela heard her words, she panicked and rushed to the counter. Fareeha immediately followed suit and nearly tripped when she grabbed at the blonde’s wrist.

“A-Angie!”

“Wait! I have to-”

“What’s going on?” She looked scared even, looking around, rustling some things inside her purse, looking back at Fareeha. “Are you okay?”

“I- uhm… I don’t know…”

“What flavor would you like, Angela?” Ana asked from the counter, and the calm girl seemed to get panicked again, but luckily Fareeha stepped in.

“Strawberry, mom.”

“Got it.”

“Angie, what’s going on?” Fareeha took her from both her shoulders, making her focus on her.

“I-I should pay and-” Ana stepped in this time when she heard her, raising her palm to shut her down, and she immediately obliged.

“Of course you won’t pay, it’s our treat. Well, I’m making Gabe pay since it was his idea, so… You know, he promised.” She giggled, pulling Angela closer and a little aside from Fareeha, rubbing her shoulder as a motherly touch could only do before whispering in her ear. "Also… It's a thank you offering for making my daughter happy. You should just take it." Angela blushed at the comment and a kiss on the cheek before Ana left again.

"You're acting weird… Are you sure, absolutely sure that you're okay? Be honest."

"I don't know… I guess? It's just that… I've never-"

"Here, girls." Ana interrupted them by handing each one of them a sundae, chocolate for Fareeha and strawberry for Angela, just as her daughter said. "Now go sit down on a table, the grown ups are going to talk about some adult stuff and you can talk about whatever you want, alright?" She kissed Fareeha on the cheek with a loud smack of her lips, making her giggle. "My big champion making the Amari's name stand tall."

"Mom, stop!" Fareeha loved the attention from her and laughed, once again, taking Angela's hand and guiding her to a more secluded table. The smartest girl felt out of place, grabbing a spoonful of her sundae once they sat down. "Now tell me what's wrong. Mom interrupted you, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Is just that I've never… I've never been outside this far from my dad and…"

"Really?"

"Yes. He's always been around, except when I'm at school, so I don't know what I'm… Supposed to do, I guess? Do they give you freedom?"

"Freedom?" 

"Like… To go outside. To have ice cream with your friends, birthday parties… That sort of stuff."

"Well…" Fareeha pondered the idea, spoon in her mouth. "As long as an adult is nearby, yeah. I mean, I've been to Olivia's and Jesse's houses before, or to the mall with them. Usually mom takes us and let us wander not too far, she's more observant I think."

"Wow… I wonder. Dad doesn't let me go outside much without him. I've never visited a friend's house before…." Fareeha slammed her hands on the table, startling Angela.

"Never?!"

"Umh no…?"

"Never, never.  _ Never _ ?"

"Never."

"Not even to birthday parties?" Angela dropped her head, eyes on her hand.

"No, never… Not that many people invite me anyway…" Fareeha took her hand, squeezing hard.

"I've always invited you to my birthday parties, even the guys have… Is this why you never go to any of our parties? Because of your dad?"

"N-not entirely, no… I mean, in part, yes, but I am also shy and awkward and I don't know how to act…" Fareeha started laughing out of the blue.

"You don't have to be awkward with me. I promised you I will protect you and be here for you whenever you want. You're my best friend, never forget that." Angela smiled, the awkwardness didn't disappear entirely but she tried to mask it with a smile.

"Thank you… And your mom is so nice, by the way."

"Isn't she cool? Uncle Gabe too, also dad but mom is cooler."

"I wonder what it feels to have a mom…" She muttered, enough for Fareeha to hear. It was her opportunity to ask something she's been meaning to.

"So… You never mentioned your uhm… Real parents before…?" Angela's stare went blank and Fareeha knew she hit a sore spot. "Y-You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, of course."

"I'd rather leave this conversation for the future, if you don't mind… I'm not ready to talk about it. Not now."

"Of course not. Sorry.."

"Don't be, it's not your fault that I don't speak much about my past." Fareeha saw how she was retracting once again, reverting to the shy girl she met years ago for the first time. In an act of diversion and distraction of her friend, she smirked, playfully, taking her spoon on one hand and scooping some of Angela's ice cream.

"Oh no, sorry for this…!"

With a quick hand, Fareeha dabbed some of the ice cream in the tip of Angela's nose, surprising her as her friend had a fit of laughter ever so sweet and contagious that even Angela had to join in the same manner. She took her spoon as well and managed to dab some ice cream on Fareeha cheek, making her laugh even harder and wondering how long she could make her friend's smile last, for that giggle was precious and reminded her that life without her wouldn't simply be the same.

And that smile Fareeha swore to protect. Before they both ran out of air and ice cream after a tremendous food war, Angela raised a hand in surrender and giggled to catch her breath, wiping the ice cream on her face with a napkin. To Fareeha that was such a treat, more than the dessert itself, and opted to better give her some space to settle down.

“O-okay stop, stop.” Angela giggled, cleaning the remaining sticky sundae from her hands. “I went to the mall with dad and I managed to sidetrack for ten minutes. I got something for you, I hope you like it.” The blonde rummaged through her purse for a couple of small boxes that she put on the table, unveiling each one and showing Fareeha the charms she had recently acquired. “I wasn’t so sure about getting you jewelry since you don’t use as much, but I wanted to… You know, give you something to tell you how much our friendship means to me, and I thought a simple friendship charm would be adequate.”

Fareeha looked closely at both boxes, two silver charms, each with an engraved letter. It was true, she wasn't much of a jewelry girl, but the fact that Angela thought of her as much as she did was exciting and fantastic, as if a strange but welcoming warmth was born in her chest and spread throughout her body. Fareeha thought she knew what that was, but preferred to keep it at bay. For now.

“You don’t like it?” Angela asked after moments of silence. Fareeha shook her head and smiled.

“What are you talking about? I love it!”

“Really?”

“Yes! It’s so cute and small and not flashy and perfect! I love it. Thank you, Angie.” Angela smiled only so sweetly, making Fareeha’s heart thump again. She had her mind set already, and picked up the wrong charm on purpose.

“Wait, that’s mine.”

“Nope. I’ll keep the A so I can have you around at all times, and you keep the F so you do the same. What do you think?”

“I think that’s… Perfect, actually. But wait, where are you going to wear it? I have a necklace where I’ll attach it just now.” Fareeha smiled mischievously and raised a leg, folding the sleeve of her pants just to show a thin ankle to Angela and making her realise that indeed, she was wearing a thin golden anklet.

“Hah! You never knew I started wearing my mom’s old anklet today, did you?”

“Not at all, no.”

“She gave it to me as a token of good luck. So I’ll clip it over here and… There! A piece of my two favorite women in the whole world are with me now.” All Angela did was smile when Fareeha did, attaching her own charm to her neck and never letting her happiness fade away for that very moment.

And for the first time when Fareeha held her hand, the sentiment she thought locked ago was burning anew and she had no doubt. No more burying feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things start to get in the sweeter side! Maybe it's time they show their feelings for each other?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I wasn't sure about uploading this one but since I am writing chapter four I said why not, and here it is! This are some long chapters, a few going up as 10k words! I can't believe I did that, but I hope you enjoy it! This starts as sweet as it can get and evolves into something different as they grow up ♥ 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it! And as always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated and I'll see you around for a bit longer! Chapters will be uploaded every week. Stay safe!


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